He could “not have asked
for a better birthday gift.” Just 10 days before he
turns 27. Shah Faesal became the first Kashmiri and only
the fourth Muslim (after Independence) to top the civil
services. And this in his first attempt. Excerpts from a
chat with the topper from Saugam (Kupwara) Kashmir:

Your thoughts at
this moment.

I was expecting a poor
rank, but didn’t see this com­ing. I am overwhelmed and
miss my father the most.

What
significance does this achievement hold for you?

My success has broken a
stereotype about my community. I hope I have set a
prece­dent far the people of my State and helped inspire
more Kash­miris to appear for civils.

How do you plan
to use this opportunity?

I would like to serve my
state by reducing the gap between the people and
admin­istration. My first preference will be
IAS, then IPS and lFS. I have been a victim of
insur­gency and understand Kash­mir’s problems. My
father (Gulam Rasool Shah), a schoot teacher, was shot
dead by unidentified gunmen in 2002, just three days
before my pre-medical exam.

Who would you
give credit for your success?

I haven’t had any formal
training. No coaching institute can use my picture or
take credit for my success. My father, my biggest role
model, and my mother, who was my rock after my father
passed away, deserve all the credit.

You are a
doctor. How and when did you decide to pursue civil
services?

I pursued medi­cine as
that’s the trend in Kashmir. I even topped my university
(Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences). But I
wanted something more challenging. I appeared for the
prelims soon after finishing my MBBS. I moved to Delhi
and prepared for the exam.

How will you
celebrate?

I return to my family in
Srinagar tomorrow. The first thing I’ll do is hug my
mother.